Characterization

Tip edited by James Gapinski

Take a few moments and answer the following questions about the protagonist in your story. This will help you generate ideas about where the story will go and how it will develop during revision. Keep in mind that there may and can be multiple answers for each.

• What does my character want?
• What does he or she fear?
• How does he or she deal with his emotions?
• What are his or her social and intimate relationships like?
• What are his or her past experiences, and how does he or she regard them?
• What does he or her view (or not view) as personal responsibilities?
• What elements of the spiritual does he or she exhibit, and how does he or she deal with them?
• What does he or she do for a living?
• What does he or she do for leisure?
• What failures does he or she secretly feel accountable for?
• What biases or prejudices motivate his or her behavior?
• Are there any "catch phrases" or verbal quips that are unique to him or her?
• Does he or she dream at night? If so, of what?
• Where does he or she go in daydreams?
• What strikes him or her as humorous/non-humorous?
• What does he or she take seriously or fail to take seriously?

Other Resources:

The University of Iowa Writing Center: "Writing Exercises for Creative Fiction Writers - Characertization."